Culture Smart! - Ghana--Culture Smart!

The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.

Adapted from Marcel Proust, Remembrance of Things Past.

ISBN 978 1 78702 272 0

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data

A CIP catalogue entry for this book is available from the British Library

First published in Great Britain

by Kuperard, an imprint of Bravo Ltd

59 Hutton Grove, London N12 8DS

Tel: +44 (0) 20 8446 2440

www.culturesmart.co.uk

Inquiries:

Design Bobby Birchall

Printed in Turkey

The Culture Smart! series is continuing to expand. All Culture Smart! guides are available as e-books, and many as audio books. For further information and latest titles visit www.culturesmart.co.uk

IAN UTLEY is a graduate of Bishop Grosseteste University, Lincoln, England, who first went to Ghana in 1998 on a two-year teacher-training placement with Voluntary Service Overseas. He liked it so much he ended up staying for twelve years, working in education and tourism, learning to speak Twi, and publishing a book for learners of the Twi language. He has appeared on Twi-language television and radio shows in Ghana, was a columnist for the Ghanaian newspaper Weekend World, and worked as an advisor to the Ministry of Tourism and Diasporan Relations in Accra. Ian now works as a library manager in his native Lincolnshire and continues to visit Ghana regularly.

COVID-19

The coronavirus pandemic of 2020 affected millions of people around the world, causing unprecedented social and economic disruption. As the impact of this global crisis continues to unfold, in many countries social norms are being challenged, and enduring changes will be reflected in future editions of Culture Smart! titles.

In a continent famous for its famine, civil wars, disease, and corrupt dictators, Ghana, the Gateway to Africa, is more likely to make the headlines for its legendary music, footballers, and hospitality. It is a country of scenic beauty, rich culture and traditions, and a rapidly growing reputation, which currently welcomes more than a million tourists, aid workers, and business travelers a year. It also has the longest history of free and fair democratic elections in Africa.

Ghana was the first black African country to achieve independence, birthplace of the father of Pan-Africanism, Kwame Nkrumah, and home to the historic Ashanti empire. A central hub during the transatlantic slave trade, it now welcomes many tourists wishing to retrace the slave routes and visit the many surviving forts and castles dotted along its coastline. Tourists are also attracted by Ghanas reputation as Africa for beginners, offering an authentic African experience without many of the troubles and safety concerns found elsewhere on the continent.

It is primarily the people of Ghana who make the biggest impression. It is due to their amazing hospitality and love of peace that Ghana has a claim to be the safest and friendliest country in Africa. Ghanaians are very welcoming to foreign guests, respectful to each other, strong followers of tradition, and have deep familial and communal values.

A visit to Ghana is highly recommended for those seeking a different kind of vacation, and is a life-changing and eye-opening experience. For visitors from developed countries, with problems of crime, antisocial behavior, family breakdown, disrespectful children, unfriendliness, loneliness, high cost of living, and terrible weather, it comes as a wonderfully refreshing change, with valuable lessons to teach to the outside world.

This new, updated edition of Culture Smart! Ghana also looks at how the country has fared as Africas latest oil producer. Oil has been flowing since 2010, but Ghanaians are still waiting to feel the benefit in their pockets. It aims to enable you to appreciate Ghana to the full through a deeper understanding of its inhabitants. While visitors are warmly welcomed, Ghanaians require them to be sympathetic to their customs and beliefs, and will have no hesitation in saying, We dont do that here, should a faux pas be made or a taboo broken.

It is important to Ghanaians that they, and their guests, follow certain rules and codes of conduct. Culture Smart! Ghana will describe these rules, explain where they come from, and offer the reader an opportunity to get under the skin of Ghanaians and enjoy all that this beautiful country has to offer. Show them respect and you will, without a doubt, be made to feel welcome.

Akwaaba!